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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Trucks/Pickups , Toyota click above for more high-res images of the Toyota A-BAT Concept After the first day of the 2008 Detroit Auto Show press days ended, some of us decided to take up Toyota on its invite to a reception at which we were greeted by the live reveal of the A-BAT concept hybrid pickup . Though images of the A-BAT were released some time ago and we know all about the unibody pickup's hybrid synergy drivetrain and Chevy Avalanche-like midgate, we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves not hating the design as much as we thought we would. It's odd, for sure, but it's a concept and there's artistic license to be had there. The actual size of the A-BAT, however, is smaller than its chunky flanks and expanse of sheet metal suggest. It makes us long for the compact pickup segment to be revived with trucks that are actually, you know, compact. Like the new 2009 Dodge Ram, the A-BAT also features storage compartments...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Trucks/Pickups , Videos , Toyota Mike Levine from Pickuptruck.com first tipped us off that the Scion brand might be considering a pickup for its youth-targeted lineup. In the video above, Levine explains why the A-BAT hybrid pickup concept ended up being a Toyota truck rather than the Scion we were expecting, as well as going over every feature and design detail of what we've come to call the "Toyota Ridgeline". From your comments, we gather that the A-BAT's design is not what you would call... attractive. As one commenter put it, "(It's) like a Ridgeline, but uglier with bigger blind spots." Touché sir. Nevertheless, we'd welcome a truly small and modern pickup back into the market, just not this one. We'll defer to another commenter who said what was exactly on our minds: "Just bring back the small pick-up and with a strong diesel and 6-speed. It'll get 40+mpg." If wishing made...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Hybrids/Alternative , Trucks/Pickups , Toyota click above to view more images of the Toyota A-BAT Concept Perhaps in response to the criticism that Toyota has received over the past year from environmentalists for its ever larger and thirstier trucks, the Japanese automaker is switching direction with its 2008 Detroit concept - the A-BAT hybrid pickup concept. Toyota and Nissan pioneered the idea of modern compact pickup trucks in the U.S. market, but Toyota has largely left it behind over the past decade. The new A-BAT concept pickup is 27 inches shorter than an extended cab Tacoma and nine inches shorter than the regular cab model. In profile, the uni-body truck looks somewhat like a shorter Honda Ridgeline with rounder contours. The A-BAT is the first Toyota to have a mid-gate allowing cargo longer than the standard four-foot bed to extend into the cab. With the tailgate down, drivers can pack the proverbial 4x8 sheet of plywood. Power...
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